- Clean System Storage Mac Apps Download
- Clean Out System Storage Mac
- Reduce System Storage Mac
- Free Mac Clean App
So, your Mac is running out of storage. You try to figure out what’s taking up your disk space by clicking the Apple logo on the top-left of the screen, selecting About This Mac, and hitting the Storage tab.
Feb 03, 2020 Step 1: Download CleanMyMac and install the app on your Mac. Open it, under “Space Lens” module, first click the yellow. Step 2: Soon it’ll show you a folder/file tree and you can hover your cursor over each block (i.e. Step 3: The file breakdown below indicates that some.
- Jan 09, 2020 With this app you can free up storage, boost RAM, remove or disable unnecessary Apps, lock apps, boost games and get your device running like new again. Junk Clean – Free up storage and optimize performance by removing old junk files and clutter such as system cache, residual file, cleaning out the download folder, and more.
- As a result the storage on our Mac is predominantly given to Apps (red, 16.61GB), Photos (yellow, 5.17GB), iTunes (purple, 2.29GB), Mail (dark blue, 1GB) and Music Creation (light blue 1GB).
To your surprise, you see a yellow bar representing “System” that seems to occupy way more space than you think it should. In the example above, it only shows 207 GB, but take a look at this Apple discussion — some Mac users report that System Storage takes an astonishing 250 GB.
Worse yet, you have no idea what’s included in “System” storage, because clicking the “Manage” button brings you to this System Information window… and the “System” row is greyed out.
Why does my Mac system require so much space?
What does it contain?
Is it safe to remove some of those system files?
How do I regain more storage space?
Questions like these may easily get to your head. Although my Mac now has a good amount of disk space available, I’m always wary of files that are taking up more space than they should.
I have no idea why “System” is greyed out while “Documents,” “System Junk,” “Trash,” etc. allow you to review the files based on size and type. My hunch is that Apple does this on purpose to prevent users from deleting system files that could lead to serious issues.
What Files Are Included in System Storage on Mac?
During my research, I found many people report that Apple counts iTunes backup files and app caches (e.g. Adobe video cache files) in the System category.
Since it’s greyed out and we are unable to click on that category for deeper analysis, we’ll have to use a third-party app to assist.
CleanMyMac X is perfect for this kind of analysis. Since I tested the app in our best Mac cleaner review, it immediately came to my head when I saw “System” was greyed out in Storage. Note that CleanMyMac isn’t freeware, but the new “Space Lens” feature is free to use and it allows you to scan your Macintosh HD, and then show you an in-depth overview of what’s taking up disk space on your Mac.
Step 1:Download CleanMyMac and install the app on your Mac. Open it, under “Space Lens” module, first click the yellow “Grant Access” button to allow the app to access your Mac files and then select “Scan” to get started.
Step 2: Soon it’ll show you a folder/file tree and you can hover your cursor over each block (i.e. a folder). There you can find more details. In this case, I clicked “System” folder to continue.
Step 3: The file breakdown below indicates that some Library and iOS Support files are the culprits.
The interesting part is that the System file size shown in CleanMyMac is much smaller than the size shown in System Information. This puzzles me and makes me believe that Apple definitely has counted some other files (not real system files) in the System category.
What are they? I have no clue, honestly. But as reported by other Mac users who experienced the same issue, they said Apple also considers app caches and iTunes backup files as System files.
Out of curiosity, I ran CleanMyMac again for a quick scan. That app found 13.92 GB in iTunes Junk. Further review revealed that the junk files are old iOS device backups, software updates, broken downloads, etc.
But even after adding this amount to the original system files returned by CleanMyMac X, the total size is still a bit less than what’s returned in System Information.
If cleaning the System Storage is still not enough to bring your Mac available disk space to a normal level (i.e. 20% or more), see below.
What Else Can I Do to Reclaim More Disk Space?
There are tons of ways out there. Here are a few of my favorites that should help you get back a decent amount of space quickly.
1. Sort all files by size and delete old large files.
Open Finder, go to Recents and look at the Size column. Click on it to sort all recent files by file size (from large to small). You’ll have a clear overview of what items are eating up a large amount of space, e.g. From 1 GB to 10 GB, and from 100 MB to 1 GB.
On my MacBook Pro, I found a few large videos that could be transferred to an external drive.
Note: If the Size column doesn’t show up, click on the Settings icon and select Arrange By > Size.
2. Remove duplicate files.
Don’t forget those duplicates and similar files! They can stack up without you being aware of it. Finding them is sometimes time-consuming. That’s what Gemini 2 is designed for. Simply select a few frequently used folders (e.g. Documents, Downloads, etc.) in the main zone of Gemini.
It then scans them and returns all the duplicate files that might be worth removing. Of course, it’s always a good practice to review them before doing so. You can also read more from our detailed Gemini review here.
Wrapping It Up
Ever since Apple introduced the Optimized Storage feature, Mac users got the option of saving space by storing content in the cloud. Apple also has several new tools that make it easy to find and remove unneeded files.
That bar under the Storage tab is beautiful. It does allow you to get a quick overview of what’s taking up the most space on our hard drive. However, it still lacks insights into the “System” category as it’s greyed out.
Hopefully, the guides above have helped you figure out the reasons you’ve got so much “System” data, and most importantly you’ve reclaimed some disk space — especially for new MacBooks pre-installed with flash storage — every gigabyte is precious!
Junk files are often invisible, but the amount of storage space they take is enormous. Therefore, to help Mac users manage storage space and recover wasted space, the company added optimization tools in macOS Sierra and higher versions.
To use it and to know about available storage space on macOS Sierra and later versions, follow the steps:
- Click the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage.
- Here you will be able to see a segment bar specifying how much storage space is taken by which category.
- To optimize data, click Manage and head to the Storage Management window.
- You will get recommendations that will help optimize Mac.
But clearing the hard drive on Mac manually can be tricky. Hence, to simplify the task and to automate Mac cleaning to free up storage space, here’s a tip.
Additional Tip
Try Smart Mac Care for free and get rid of junk files, temporary files, cache, cookies, browser history, app cache, and much more. This powerful Mac optimization app is fantastic. What’s more, it helps secure your Mac from malicious threats like malware, spyware, virus, and other similar infections.
So, you are facing a problem with your Mac and things don’t feel ok? Although Macs don’t require regular optimization, junk files, malware infections, duplicate files, app leftovers, and other similar things do slow down the performance. Hence, to boost Mac’s performance and to free up space on Mac hard drive, we share simple and easy ways.
How to Free Up Space on Mac Hard Drive
First thing first, to reclaim storage space on Mac, we need to know what’s taking up unnecessary space. For this, we can use the in-built method discussed above or can use a smart way.
Usually junk files, large and old files, duplicates, app caches, etc. that you can’t quickly locate take up a lot of space. Sadly, clearing them manually isn’t easy; it takes several hours. So, if you are short on time and are looking for a quick way? Use Smart Mac Care.
This powerful tool uses advanced algorithms and cutting-edge technology to detect useless files and removes all clutter from Mac. In addition to this, Smart Mac Care knows how to find unnecessary files and remove them without leaving leftovers. It can do the job of hours in a couple of minutes. Moreover, it locates and cleans junk files from Mac’s hard drive that you don’t even know exists, thus resulting in a speed boost.
How to Clean Mac Hard Drive Using Smart Mac Care?
- Download Smart Mac Care for free by clicking the Download Now button below:
- Once installed, run the app & clean system junk and other unwanted files that take up storage space on Mac.
- To begin scanning click Start Scan and let the scan finish.
- When the scanning is done, you will see several junk files detected, privacy traces, infections found (if any), and more.
- To clean only Junk Files, click Clean Now under it. However, if you want to clean all detected traces, click Fix All Items.
That’s all. You have successfully cleaned Mac’s hard drive.
Now, we know how to use Smart Mac Care to free up space on a Mac hard drive. Let’s learn about the modules in detail.
Clean System Storage Mac Apps Download
Home Screen
Scan results are divided into two sections:
- Security
- Optimization and Tuneup
Under Security, you see scan results of Malware Scan and Web Protection. If an action is required simply click Clean Now under each section. Moreover, you can also perform Deep Scan by selecting the box under Malware Scan.
Under Optimization & Tuneup, you get information about Junk Files, Privacy (Cache, cookies, browser history, and others). You can fix detected threats individually by clicking Clean Now or can simply click Fix All Items to remove all identified unwanted traces.
Further, you can even rescan your Mac by clicking the Rescan Now button. See the last scan performed to date, the total number of items cleaned, and the Database Version.
Search Tab
Get a brief report of all the infections detected. You can click each one of them to unhide and see what’s detected. This will help you decide what action you want to perform.
Once satisfied with scan results, click Fix All Items.
Web Protection
Under this section, Smart Mac Care tells whether your browsers are protected or not, and if not, then what could be done. If you want to protect them, click Enable Extension, and protect your installed web browsers from unknown threats.
Here, I faced a problem. Although Chrome was still installed, it was showing not installed. Check the screenshot below:
However, the problem was resolved after re-launching the application.
Advanced Features
In the left sidebar, you get to see advanced features offered by Smart Mac Care. Using them, you can clear hard disk space, thereby recovering valuable storage space.
Note: Before using this section, you will need to grant access permission. To help grant permission, Smart Mac Care shows a step by step tutorial, like the one shown below. Click Next Step to move to the next slide.
Uninstaller
This will help completely uninstall applications from Mac without leaving any traces. You can select the apps that you wish to uninstall to see how much space you will be able to recover and click Clean Now to remove selected from Mac.
Why an Uninstaller?
Indeed, by moving apps to the Bin, you can uninstall them but what about the app leftovers? When you select an app > to right-click and select Delete. This removes the app but not the corresponding files. And if you like to test the application before purchasing then these leftover files increase in number and slow down the Mac. Therefore, the best way to get rid of such files is to use an App Uninstaller.
There are several Mac app uninstallers available, but why invest in an additional product when you are getting it with Smart Mac Care. Right?
Hope this answers why the uninstaller module in Smart Mc Care.
Login Items
Clean Out System Storage Mac
Many times, we don’t know the reason behind the slow Mac startup. This module resolves the mystery and lists down all the apps and login items that launch at boot time, thereby slowing down the startup process. Using it, you can remove these unwanted apps and can improve Mac startup time.
Note: Removing them doesn’t mean you are uninstalling an app. It only means you are disabling the app from launching at startup.
Duplicate Finder
Duplicates occupy unnecessary storage space on Mac. With the help of the Duplicate Finder module, you can quickly identify duplicates and get rid of them. This will help clear Mac hard drive and recover valuable storage space that can be used for other important data.
Disk Usage
Explore the largest and oldest files, Archives, photos, music, videos, and other files stored on Mac that have forgotten about. This will help you decide whether you want those files or not.
Failed Downloads
As the name explains, this module helps know about the corrupt and incomplete downloads that take up unnecessary space on the hard disk. With the help of Failed Downloads, you can easily remove these files and free up space on Mac hard drive.
Flash Cache
Flash videos take up space as they store cache data; therefore, to recover hard disk space, it is best to remove Flash Cache. Not only this, it even speeds by browser’s speed.
System
Details about any kind of obsolete data from iTunes, iOS updates, backups, downloads, etc. are listed here. You can erase them quickly to make space.
Memory Optimizer
The last module under Advanced features that help optimize memory and boost Mac’s performance. Using it, you can recover space occupied by unnecessary app cache and other files. Hit the ‘Optimize Now’ button to free up space on the Mac hard drive.
That’s all using Smart Mac Care you can not only save your time but can also save money. How?
Reduce System Storage Mac
Unlike other Mac optimizers, this Mac cleaning utility knows what all areas need to be scanned to free up storage space and clear the hard drive on Mac. Alongside scanning and cleaning junk files, temporary files, cache, etc. It even removes spyware, malware, uninstalls apps, allows disabling startup items, and more. All this helps boost Mac performance and speed up Mac.
Goodbye “Your startup disk is almost full” message.
So, now that we’ve covered everything that will help clear Mac hard disks we hope you will be able to fix the storage issue on Mac. Not only this, you now can help others know what junk files, cache files, how to clear them, and free up storage space are.
Free Mac Clean App
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